StudentUniverse Reveals that 60% of Students Would Trade Convenience
for Cost Savings When Traveling

Results From Student Travel Company’s Student Survey Indicate
Students Paying for Their Own Travel; Price is the Primary Concern
Guiding Travel Experiences

May 03, 2017 11:05 AM Eastern Daylight Time

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--StudentUniverse,
the world’s leading travel booking service for students and youth, today
unveiled the results of its inaugural student travel survey.
StudentUniverse polled nearly 5,000 student travelers to learn more
about their booking habits, the tradeoffs that would be willing to make
for cost savings, usage of mobile in the booking process and habits
in-destination.

The results of the survey revealed that price is the primary concern for
more than 90% of students when booking travel, and that students are
willing to trade convenience, even for modest cost savings. 65% of
students would take a flight with one or more stops to save money when
direct or non-stop options are available, while 60% of students polled
would fly to a less convenient airport to save money. Students are
willing to forego convenience, even for relatively modest savings, 71%
of whom would do so for savings of between $50-$100. This may be largely
driven by the fact that students (64% according to our survey
respondents) are paying for their travel themselves.

“Students look for cost savings opportunities, but they don’t just book
the cheapest flight full stop,” said Rebecca Heidgerd, Director of
Marketing, StudentUniverse. “Many students look at a number of other
factors, including connection time, airline reputation/reviews and
baggage fees. More than ever consumers are educated and looking closely
at exactly what they will be getting for their money. Students also
don’t like surprises - they expect full transparency around the
information pertaining to their flight prior to booking.”

Additional key survey findings include:

While students are still learning about basic economy fares, they
are very open to booking them. According to the survey results,
64% of students book the cheapest fare they can find and would
consider booking basic economy fares of they meet that criteria. While
19% of students had not heard of these fares, only 5% of students
found the restrictions (advanced seat selection, checked baggage,
inability to cancel) unsuitable for their travel style. Students cite
booking their travel 3-6 months prior to their trip.

While students like searching for travel on mobile apps, they are
still booking on desktop. While 22% of students search on mobile,
72% of students don’t end up booking on mobile. International students
are leading the charge with mobile—they are 2.5 times more likely to
book on mobile or in-app as compared with US students. Mobile-specific
offers do matter though, 42% of students state that the most important
consideration in downloading an app are the offers they will receive.

Students seek authentic experiences, not nightlife. Less than
4% of respondents cite checking out bars and clubs to be at the top of
their priority list when traveling. Instead, 41% of students look for
opportunities to go off the beaten path and have authentic experiences
in-destination. Given the focus on authenticity, it is no surprise
that a quarter of students prefer to stay in AirBnB’s while traveling.
The lack of focus on nightlife may also be due in part to how students
are traveling - nearly a third of students actually prefer to travel
solo to be on their own schedule.

About StudentUniverseStudentUniverse
is the world’s leading travel booking service for students and youth. It
offers exclusive pricing and terms on flights, hotels and tours through
contracts with dozens of world-class partners and more than 80 airlines.
Its Travel Services division handles client requests for groups and
custom itineraries.

StudentUniverse launched in 2000 and was acquired by Flight Centre
Travel Group in 2015. StudentUniverse is headquartered in Boston with
offices in London, Toronto, New York and the Philippines.
StudentUniverse believes that travel is essential to a modern education.
Millions of students use the service every year. For updates on StudentUniverse
follow our corporate Twitter
profile and blog.